Here’s the schedule for station WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the week starting Sunday, March 28th, 1948, straight from the weekly television listings printed in The Milwaukee Journal [1]. The station was off the air on Mondays and Tuesdays. An advertisement for WTMJ-TV, published in The Milwaukee Journal on Sunday, March 28th, was chock full of information about the week’s programming, which saw an assortment of new programs debut [2]. On Easter Sunday, for example, the station planned to broadcast “A Children’s Easter Party” from the Radio City lawn, hosted by Norm Clayton. It would air at 3PM, weather permitting. It would be followed by “Preview of Summer,” a film produced by the Milwaukee Park Commission. And at 9PM was the second episode of variety show Man About Town, featuring the Bohemian Tumblers, Miss Peggy Bast and her bells, and artist Jean Owen demonstrating rosemalling.

On 3:30PM on Saturday, April 3rd, The Baseball Clinic premiered. Broadcast from the Radio City studios, it featured baseball demonstrations, directed by Jack Kloza and Bunny Brief of the Milwaukee Department of Municipal Recreation. Only the first two episodes would air from Radio City; following broadcasts would come from Shorewood High School. Another new program, The Gay Nineties Revue, premiered at 8PM on Saturday, with soft shoe dancing and a balladeer. Other new programs during the week included a film series called Let’s Look at America and two quiz shows, The Spelling Bee Quiz and It’s Quiz Time.

2 Comments

An episode of a series called “The Gay Nineties Revue”â€” can be viewed online at the Museum of Broadcast Communications website (the 12/17/48 broadcastâ€” an “oldie”!) [the show ran until Jan. ’49]… not 100% sure it’s the same show mentioned in this blog entry (Brooks/Marsh list 8/11/48 as its debut– could this be a “network” premiere?) The show at MBC is pretty interesting with what Brooks & Marsh’s COMPLETE DIRECTORY TO PRIMETIME TV calls, “probably the oldest performer ever to headline a TV variety series” [ex-Vaudevillian Joe Howard]… have to sign up (for free) to see it… login here: http://archives.museum.tv/archives

OK– further research… Joe Howard ALSO hosted the network radio show (1939-46)… not terribly likely he took it to TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before its 1948 network TV debut (but I guess anything’s possible though…). Likely it was just a generic title for a variety show of that day (the WI one).

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